Posted by:
Slaytonp
at Tue Feb 5 18:50:35 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Slaytonp ]
Definitely keep them in a smaller, more simple nursery tank for a few weeks, especially if you get froglets. The nursery tanks not only help you monitor their eating and health, but also gives them a better start at getting used to your presence, so they'll be bolder in the long run. If you do decide to check for parasites, which some people recommend, although I don't do it routinely, it's also a lot easier to collect a fresh sample from a specific frog. Most breeders recommend keeping them individually in separate small containers. I like the 1 1/2 gallon glass containers with the fitted glass tops for this. (Tops may be sold separately.) You need to be careful about some of these as they may have a cut-out on one corner that the frogs can escape from unless you tape over it. You can just use a simple substrate such as an inch or so of long brown sphagnum moss, a little leaf litter, with a couple of plant cuttings for them to climb on and hide under the leaves. I've never been a fan of using paper towels, as these get dirty and need changing every other day or so.
I'm not sure why the original azureus were designated as a separate specie from tinctorius, but it's been pretty well established in the past few years that they are not, although they are still sold that way by most breeders. The newest nomenclature that has further divided the Dendrobates into other genera such as Oophagia for obligate egg feeders, Ranitomeya for thumbnail egg feeders, Adelphobates for the castaneoticus, galactonotus and some others, is still pretty controversial, and will probably go through some other changes before being totally accepted, especially since other families have been created, as well. It's a bit confusing for those of us who aren't particularly well versed in taxonomy and are used to the old names. I think most hobbyists will stick with the old designations for some time to come. Fortunately, most of the species designations have been kept in tact, with the endings changed for agreement. i.e. Ranitomeya reticulata vs. Dendrobates reticulatus. ----- Patty Pahsimeroi, Idaho
Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)
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